Jonathan and Simon Hosmer House · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Acton, MA: what to set up and who to call
Acton has its own drop-off, Avalon Acton - Recycling Center. To register to vote, go to the Acton Town Clerk: Acton runs its own elections.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Acton, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Acton.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves 84.4% of Acton residents. Its homes paid an average of 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 76% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: nstar.com · (800) 592-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Acton Water Supply District
Acton Water Supply District supplies Acton: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water influenced by surface water and serves 21,285 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 3.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.0 ppb. That’s higher than 84% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MA2002000.
4 home internet providers serve Acton
100% of 6,587 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 91% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 95% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 61% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 23% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Acton
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Acton, from the town’s own site.
Acton Transfer Station & Recycling Center
193 Massachusetts Avenue, Acton, MA 01720
- Mon12 am–12 am
- Tue12 am–12 am
- Wed12 am–12 am
- Thu12 am–12 am
- Fri12 am–12 am
- Sat12 am–12 am
- Sun12 am–12 am
Hours from OpenStreetMap. They can change with the season, so check with the town before you go.
Cost: Recycling-only sticker $15 annually ($10 for seniors 65+)
Accepted at the curb
- Newspaper and inserts
- Corrugated cardboard
- Glass bottles and jars (all colors)
- Metal food and beverage cans and lids (steel, tin, aluminum)
- Clear plastic bottles, jars, jugs, containers, or tubs
- Pizza boxes
From acton-ma.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. . Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Acton is in Acton-Boxborough Region School District.
ASchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Acton spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Acton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Acton | ZIP’s residents in Acton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01720 | Acton, MA | 97% | 100% |
| 01718 | Acton, MA | 3% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 01742.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Acton
Who supplies Acton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Acton Water Supply District (EPA ID MA2002000). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.5 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Acton?
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Acton?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Acton?
01720 (97%), 01718 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Acton in?
Acton-Boxborough Region School District.
How do I register to vote in Acton?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Acton Town Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Acton’s own website (acton-ma.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from. Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.